People in the construction industries use a variety of specialized equipment and stagings which are particular to certain jobs. Often the jobs are not done while standing on the ground. Rather, the work must be done while standing on a ladder supported platform or on a roof. For reasons of safety and economy, specialized equipment such as ladder jacks, roof brackets and roof hooks have been developed. Each piece of equipment is useful for its one particular function and only that one function. Thus, the construction industry requires a large amount of specialized equipment.
Ladder jacks, which are also known as ladder brackets, are set up by placing two or more ladders near each other, attaching a ladder bracket to each ladder and a plank is placed on the ladder brackets so as to form a raised platform. Such a platform is useful for working on the sides of houses and buildings. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,542,874 and 5,020,757 are examples of prior art ladder jacks.
Roof brackets are set up by attaching the roof brackets to the roof by nails or the like, and then putting a plank platform and railings on the roof brackets. This provides safety and a level surface while working on roof tops and the like.
Roof hooks, which are also know as ridge hooks, are set up by placing the roof hook straddling the ridge of a roof, then possibly nailing the roof ladder hook into place, and then placing a ladder over the roof hook. This provides a quick and easy way to access a steep roof.
The purchasing and transporting of numerous pieces of specialized equipment to or between job sites can be time consuming as well as expensive. Thus, when equipment can be used for multiple jobs, time and money are saved.
At the present time, ladder jacks, roof brackets and roof hooks are used in the construction industry. Each of these pieces of equipment is utilized for one particular job but cannot be substituted for one of the other pieces of equipment. Thus, it would be highly advantageous to have one piece of equipment which could be utilized as a ladder jack, roof bracket and roof hook.